China has expanded its visa-free policy to include citizens of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay. Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/fanjianhua
China has extended its visa-free entry process to citizens from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain, as well as those from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay.
Visa-free entry for up to 30 days applies from now until 8 June 2026 for the Gulf states and from now until 31 May 2026 for the Latin American countries.
The scheme is for ordinary passport holders from those countries who are visiting China for purposes such as business, tourism, family visits or transit. Those who do not meet the visa exemption criteria will still need to obtain a Chinese visa prior to entry.
China has also launched a multi-year ASEAN business travel visa, which allows multiple entries for up to five years and a maximum stay of up to three months per visit. It is valid for the 10 ASEAN countries and East Timor and eligibility is also extended to spouses and children of applicants. The ASEAN member states are Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.
China has also added Indonesia to its list of countries eligible for its 240-hour visa-free transit policy. Citizens from the country engaging in tourism, business, exchange visits and family visits can enter through any of 60 ports and stay in China for up to 240 hours, or 10 days.